Verizon Center

This article is about the arena in Washington, D.C.. For the arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas, see Verizon Arena. For the arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, see Verizon Wireless Arena. For the arena in Mankato, Minnesota, see Verizon Wireless Center. For the skyscraper in Los Angeles, see MCI Center (Los Angeles).

Verizon Center
"The Phone Booth"
Former names	MCI Center (1997–2006)
Location	601 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004-1603
Coordinates	38°53′53″N 77°1′15″W / 38.89806°N 77.02083°W / 38.89806; -77.02083Coordinates: 38°53′53″N 77°1′15″W / 38.89806°N 77.02083°W / 38.89806; -77.02083
Broke ground	October 18, 1995
Opened	December 2, 1997
Owner	Monumental Sports and Entertainment (land leased from the City of Washington)
Operator	Monumental Sports and Entertainment
Construction cost	$ 260 million ($356 million in 2011 dollars[1])
Architect	Ellerbe Becket Architects & Engineers
Structural engineer	Delon Hampton & Associates[2]
General Contractor	Clark/Smoot[3]
Capacity	Basketball: 20,674 (1997-2002), 20,173 (2002-2010), 20,278 (2010-present) Ice hockey: 19,740 (1997-1999), 18,672 (1999-2002), 18,277 (2002-2010), 18,398 (2010-2011), 18,506 (2011-present)[4]
Tenants
Washington Wizards (NBA) (1997–present) Washington Capitals (NHL) (1997–present) Washington Mystics (WNBA) (1998–present) Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1997–present) Washington Power (NLL) (2001–2002)

Verizon Center (formerly MCI Center) is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies. It is located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington and sits atop the Gallery Place station on the Washington Metro. The arena is home to the Washington Wizards of the NBA, Washington Capitals of the NHL, Georgetown University men's basketball, and Washington Mystics of the WNBA, and was formerly home to the Washington Power of the NLL from 2001–2002. It seats 20,278 for basketball and 18,398 for hockey.^[5] The arena is now owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, on land leased from the city of Washington. It was built with 100% private financing and originally owned by Abe Pollin from 1997-June 2010. Following Pollin's death in November 2009, on June 10, 2010, the Pollin family sold Verizon Center, the Wizards, and the Washington-Baltimore area Ticketmaster franchise to Ted Leonsis. Leonsis formed a new management company called Monumental Sports & Entertainment. The arena is largely considered a commercial and cultural success and is regarded as one of the driving catalyst's of the revitalization and gentrification of Washington's Chinatown neighborhood.^[6]

History

• 1997: The arena opened as the MCI Center on December 2, 1997 in downtown Washington's Chinatown.
• 2006: Verizon buys out MCI, the arena's name is changed accordingly.^[7]
• 2007: The "first true indoor high-definition LED scoreboard" was installed at the Verizon Center.^[8]

Fan fixtures

Two notable fan fixtures at Washington Capitals games at Verizon Center since the late '90s include Goat and The Horn Guy. "Goat," aka William Stilwell, sits in Section 105 and loudly stomps and starts cheers for the team, with his loud voice that The Washington Post once called "the loudest voice and stompiest stomp on F Street." ^[9] "The Horn Guy," aka Sam Wolk, sits in section 415 and blows out three blasts on a horn to which the arena responds "Let's Go Caps!," a chant that can be heard during all radio and TV broadcasts.^[10]

Notable events

Verizon Center, then known as MCI Center, on game night (Washington Wizards vs. New Orleans Hornets), January 20, 2006.

Washington Capitals game on March 8, 2006 featuring the Verizon Center markings on the ice surface.

• 1998: Stanley Cup Finals games 3 (June 13) and 4 (June 16): The Washington Capitals are swept in four games by the Detroit Red Wings.
• 2003, Feb 21: Michael Jordan scores 43 points, becoming the oldest player, and only player, at age 40 or older to score 40 points in an NBA game.
• 2003, April 5: Peter Bondra passes Mike Gartner as the Washington Capitals' career scoring leader.
• 2005, April 30: Washington Wizards vs. Chicago Bulls: The Wizards win their first playoff game in nearly 17 years with a 117–99 win over the Bulls. It is the first Wizards playoff game ever held within the District of Columbia, as the team previously played at USAir Arena in Landover, Md. It is also the District's first NBA playoff game in 55 years (the last had been at Uline Arena on March 21, 1950^[11]).
• 2005, May 6: Wizards vs. Bulls: The Wizards win 94–91 over the Bulls, winning the Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, 4-2. The game marked the first playoff series victory for the Wizards in 23 years, and first playoff series win at Verizon Center.
• 2006, March 26: George Mason vs. Connecticut Huskies (NCAA men's Division I basketball Washington DC regional final): George Mason, playing in front of a mostly partisan crowd due to being located just across the Potomac River in Fairfax, Va., defeats top seeded UConn to become only the second double-digit seed to reach the NCAA Final Four.
• 2008: Wizards and Capitals both play playoff games in the building in the same calendar year for the first time.
• NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament first and second rounds: 1998, 2002, 2008; second and third rounds: 2011.
• NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament regional finals: 2006.
• WWE Backlash 2000
• WCW Starrcade 1997-2000.
• NBA All-Star Game: 2001.
• WNBA All-Star Game: 2002, 2007.
• ISU World Figure Skating Championships: 2003.
• ACC men's basketball tournament: 2005.
• BB&T Classic Basketball Tournament: held annually.
• Mike Tyson vs. Kevin McBride: June 11, 2005, Tyson's final fight.
• WWE Cyber Sunday which took place on October 28, 2007
• Kids' Inaugural: We are the Future: Jan. 19, 2009, hosted by first lady Michelle Obama
• NCAA's Men's 2009 Frozen Four hockey championship: 2009
• The Archdiocese of Washington Youth Rally and "Mass for Life": Every January, from 2004 to present.^[12]

The Washington Wizards in an NBA game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, December 5, 2007

Verizon Center is located in the Chinatown neighborhood.

• Verizon Center was the location of WWE's last Saturday Night's Main Event on August 2, 2008 (taped July 28, 2008)
• The Survivor Series took place on November 22, 2009.
• The Jonas Brothers played to a sold-out crowd on July 13, 2009, where Michelle Obama and her two daughters were in attendance.
• Miley Cyrus performed here on January 7, 2008 as a part of her Best of Both Worlds Tour and again on November 3, 2009 during her Wonder World Tour.
• Taylor Swift performed at the arena back-to-back nights on June 1 and June 2, 2010 as a part of her Fearless Tour.
• WWE Capitol Punishment which took place on June 19, 2011.
• Lady Gaga had performed at the arena on two different occasions throughout her Monster Ball Tour.
• The Ultimate Fighting Championship is set to have a mixed martial arts card at the center on Oct. 1, 2011.
• Britney Spears performed at the arena on July 31, 2011, with opening act Nicki Minaj.

Controversy

Health code violations

In August 2010 ESPN's Outside the lines reported that the Verizon center was one of only two major sports arenas in the U.S, and the only in the NBA/NHL, in which 100% of food vendors were found with at least one "critical or major" health code violation. Violations included mice droppings in a least 10 different vending locations.^[13][14]

Role in Chinatown

When the arena opened there was concern ^[15] that it would lead to the displacement of Chinese businesses and culture ^[16] in the area that is the city's Chinatown. The surrounding area has indeed been dramatically gentrified, with a Chinese population remaining. Overall there have been higher prices for real estate, and more upscale residential and commercial development in the area, forcing some longtime Chinese out of Chinatown proper and into other parts of the city.^[17]

Ice quality issues

In December 2007, then-Capitals captain Chris Clark gained a bit of press by stating that he believed the Verizon Center had the worst ice in the NHL. "There's a lot of ruts in the ice. It's soft. It's wet half the time. I could see a lot of injuries coming from the ice there. It could cost [players] their jobs...Even guys on other teams say the same thing. When we're facing off, they say, 'How do you guys play on this?'" Caps owner Ted Leonsis addressed this criticism directly.^[18] The ice quality issue has been persistent both since the opening of Verizon Center and with the Capitals franchise in general.^[19]

"Attendance Champions" banners

The "Washington Mystics Attendance Champions" banners that hung at the Verizon Center had been the focal point of much criticism over the years, with many people believing that the rafters should be reserved for achievements by sports teams and not by the fans. Critics thought it was insulting to have banners for championships and retired numbers hang next to "attendance champion" banners. Originally there were six banners (1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2004); the number was later reduced to three in 2007 (for the first two seasons plus 2002, the only season in which the Mystics have won a playoff series to date) with the other three removed to make way for a banner honoring Final Four appearances by the Georgetown Hoyas.

The Washington City Paper had called them "embarrassing",^[20] a 2005 ESPN.com article by Todd Wright commented, "it's time to lose those Mystics attendance banners hanging from the rafters",^[21] the Sports Road Trip website mocked the banners by stating "Oh... Mystics... WNBA "attendance champions" in '98 and '99.^[22]

When Washington Post writer Jon Gallo was asked about the banners, he stated "The attendance banners were largely achieved because the Mystics gave away approximately 30 percent of their tickets before Sheila Johnson took over the team. If the Mystics had made everyone pay for a ticket, then they would not have had the best attendance in the league.".^[23]

In the 2009 season, the Mystics once again led the WNBA in attendance at 11,338 per game;^[24] however, in an entry on his blog earlier that season, Ted Leonsis, whose Lincoln Holdings owns the Mystics, had promised that there will be no attendance banner for 2009 should the Mystics conclude the season with the attendance lead.^[25]

On Leonsis' authorization, the final remaining attendance banners were removed from the Verizon Center rafters in 2010.^[26]

References

1. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
2. ^ http://www.delonhampton.com/verizon-center
3. ^ http://www.emporis.com/building/mcicenter-washington-dc-usa?lng=3
4. ^ http://hurricanes.nhl.com/v2/ext/media%20guides/2011-12/2011-12_HurricanesMediaGuideWEB.pdf
5. ^ Heath, Thomas (November 25, 2004). "On Hockey Nights, a Center of Inactivity". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A11261-2004Nov24.html?nav=rss_sports/leaguesandsports/nhl/19992000/washingtoncapitals. 
6. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2283463
7. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2283463
8. ^ Verizon Center shows off "first true indoor HD LED scoreboard" - Engadget
9. ^ ""I Was Blessed:" The Goat Story". The Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2006/12/the_goat_story_i_was_blessed.html. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 
10. ^ "The Horn Man Blows". The Washington Post. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2006/10/the_horn_man_blows.html. Retrieved May 27, 2010. 
11. ^ http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/WSC/1950_games.html
12. ^ http://www.adw.org/service/jan22.asp
13. ^ http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2010/07/25/espn-vendor-inspection-caps-verizon-center-dirtiest-in-nhl/
14. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=5401646
15. ^ Lowman, Stephen (January 29, 2009). "The Shrinking of Chinatown". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012801315.html. 
16. ^ Lowman, Stephen (January 29, 2009). "The Shrinking of Chinatown". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012801315.html. 
17. ^ Lowman, Stephen (January 29, 2009). "The Shrinking of Chinatown". The Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012801315.html. 
18. ^ Ted's Take - Toughness, 6 December 2007
19. ^ Steinberg, Dan (10 February 2009). "The Caps and Bad Ice: A History". DC Sports Bog (washingtonpost.com). http://voices.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2009/02/the_caps_and_bad_ice_a_history.html. 
20. ^ McKenna, Dave (30 June 2006). "CHEAP SEATS: In With the Out: The Mystics embrace their trustiest fans.". Washington City Paper. http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/cheap/2006/cheap0630.html. 
21. ^ ESPN - Venue Visitation: 107 and Counting - Espnradio, 26 July 2005
22. ^ Washington Wizards, The Ultimate Sports Road Trip website
23. ^ Gallo, Jon (18 August 2006). "Washington Mystics". Washington Post. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2006/08/11/DI2006081100300_pf.html. 
24. ^ WNBA Attendance: 09 Season Summary, WomensBasketballOnline.Com
25. ^ Ted's Take: Mystics Lead WNBA in Attendance After First Report, 13 July 2009
26. ^ Ted's Take: Washington Mystics Attendance Banners, 7 May 2010

External links

District of Columbia portal

• Verizon Center website
• Arena map and directions

Events and tenants
Preceded by US Airways Arena	Home of the Washington Wizards 1997 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Washington Mystics 1998 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by US Airways Arena	Home of the Washington Capitals 1997 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by US Airways Arena	Home of the Georgetown Hoyas 1997 – present	Succeeded by current
Preceded by The Arena in Oakland	Host of the NBA All-Star Game 2001	Succeeded by First Union Center
Preceded by Pepsi Center Denver, Colorado	Host of the Frozen Four 2009	Succeeded by Ford Field Detroit, Michigan
Preceded by TD Banknorth Garden	Host of the Survivor Series 2009	Succeeded by American Airlines Arena
Preceded by U.S. Bank Arena	Host of WWE Cyber Sunday 2007	Succeeded by US Airways Center

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